Harvey Goes Fishing
by DonaldDouglasandToby6
Summary: Harvey wants a chance in work so he and Toby switch jobs; Toby looks after the yard and Harvey takes some trucks to Brendam. But Harvey doesn't get what he bargained for.


Harvey is a crane engine, and usually helps out the engines after an accident has occurred.

Despite his smaller size, he's still strong, and can haul trucks, coaches, and even small engines back onto the rails again.

The crane engine is proud to help other engines, and he can also help load rolling stock with crates or other loads.

He doesn't mind the work too much, but once in a while, he wants a bit of a change to what he usually does.

One afternoon, Harvey was loading cargo onto trucks for Toby at the yards.

He sighed, as some pipes were unloaded onto a flatbed.

Toby puffed up, to collect his trucks.

"Thank you for loading these, Harvey," the tram engine said gratefully, "It would've taken longer if people did the job."

Harvey sighed.

"Sure, Toby... Happy to help..."

Toby raised an eyebrow.

"Harvey, are you alright? You sound dejected, and you don't usually sound like that. You usually are so cheery."

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that I do the same jobs all the time just because I have a crane arm. It gets old after a while. I mean, think about it: What if I didn't have a crane arm? Would I be doing the same thing all the time?"

Toby considered Harvey's point, but didn't get a chance to answer.

"Exactly. I'd be given a variety of work most likely. I'm not saying I'm mistreated, but it's just so boring nowadays. I've proven I could take trains yet that was only when any other engine wasn't doing anything."

Toby frowned; he wasn't really sure what to say to Harvey.

"Look, Harvey... I see where you're coming from. An engine does need variety... I think I know how to help you."

Harvey looked up, surprised.

"You do?"

Toby grinned.

"Of course. I have a train of stone to take to Brendam Docks in a half hour. Maybe you can take it instead of me, and then I can sort trucks in the yard."

Harvey smiled.

"Oh, that would be wonderful! Ho ho, I can't wait to go! I'll set off right now!"

Toby frowned.

"Don't be too hasty, Harvey. You're not experienced with pulling trucks."

"Oh, Toby, I pick up after trucks after accidents all the time. They're troublesome little things. I know they'll try and play a trick." the crane engine reassured.

"Almost everyone does, but that doesn't stop them from crashing," Toby retorted, "I think you're being a bit too overconfident for your own good."

Harvey felt a bit upset.

"Toby, don't worry. I'll be careful. Besides, I'm just starting to get my confidence back."

And Harvey puffed away.

But Toby was still a little worried.

At Knapford Station, Arthur was waiting for his guard when Harvey puffed alongside with a wide grin.

The LMS engine was perplexed by Harvey's random enthusiasm.

"What has you so excited, Harvey?" he asked politely.

Harvey looked over and smiled.

"Oh Arthur, it's simply wonderful! I'm finally going to have some variety in my work! I'm going to pull another train!"

Arthur immediately frowned.

"Harvey, you don't have much experience when it comes to this. Are you sure you can pull a train? Even a light one?"

"Oh, I can pull trains, Arthur. I've pulled one before."

"But from what I've heard, your flatbeds crashed and you had to fix the mess," Arthur retorted.

Harvey's eyes widened.

"Oh, uh..."

"Exactly. I don't like doubting other engines but maybe you learn a bit more about pulling trains. Would you like me to help you?"

Harvey chuckled.

"No thank you. I appreciate the offer though."

And Harvey puffed away.

As his guard blew the whistle, Arthur couldn't help but feel that something bad was going to happen.

At Ffarquhar Quarry, Mavis was waiting beside a long train of trucks filled with stone.

"When's Toby coming?" complained a truck, "I'm sick of sitting here."

"Same here," another truck spluttered, "My wheels have cramps."

Mavis chuckled, just as a strange whistle blew nearby.

The Diesel squinted to find a crane engine puffing into the quarry.

"Harvey?!" she cried, completely caught off guard.

Harvey frowned as he came to a halt.

"Did you... expect someone else?"

"Well-"

"We expected Toby!" the trucks interrupted.

Harvey winced.

"Oh... Well, he's in the yard today."

Mavis blinked.

"Um... okay... I'm guessing you're taking this train then?"

"Mhmm."

Mavis sighed.

"Alright, but I'd be careful if I were you. Trucks are not kind to newcomers. I made that mistake myself when I was new to pulling a train."

"It's alright, Mavis. I will."

The crane engine turned around on the turntable and slowly backed down onto the trucks.

Mavis was impressed as the coupling was fastened.

"Nice job so far, but you do have quite a long way to go." she warned.

"I will be fine. I promise," Harvey said sincerely as he puffed away.

But the trucks were furious.

"Who's this monstrosity, barging in here and ordering us around?" a truck fumed.

"He's a crane, not an engine!" scowled another.

"We'll show him who the boss is!" giggled a small truck.

Harvey didn't hear the trucks as he exited the quarry; he thought they were on their best behavior.

"Well done, trucks! Those are some good trucks!" Harvey smiled, "You're not as troublesome as I thought you'd be!"

At this, the trucks giggled; Harvey thought it was flattery but the trucks instead were scheming up a plan.

"He's not a normal engine." a truck whispered, "He deserves to crash!"

The other trucks tittered in agreement.

As the trucks thought up ideas for how to carry their plan out, Harvey puffed slowly to Brendam Docks.

But one truck said a sentence too loud.

"Maybe we can do it on a hill!" he cried.

The other trucks froze as Harvey looked back.

"I thought you trucks said you wouldn't be troublesome..."

And he bumped them.

"Ooooh that was uncalled for!" shrilled the trucks.

"We'll pay you out!" cried a small van.

Harvey gulped, trying not to think about it.

Soon, the train rolled smoothly past Wellsworth Junction and onto the Brendam Branch Line.

"Maybe these trucks were just lying to stir up trouble," Harvey thought, but he had spoken too soon.

Up ahead was a small hill.

The trucks giggled as Harvey rushed up the slope.

"No nonsense please," he stuttered.

But since Troublesome Trucks don't listen to requests if it doesn't benefit them, the rolling stock didn't listen as the crane engine reached the top of the hill.

The weight of the stone made the trucks push Harvey down the hill, and before his driver could apply the brakes, the train was rushing down the branch line.

Harvey gasped in horror.

"Oh no, no, no, no! Help! Help me! I'm being pushed!"

At Suddery, Derek was resting on a siding when the train raced by.

"Cinders and ashes!" Derek cried, "What was that? A.. crane engine? Wait a second, was that Harvey?"

As Harvey tried to stop, he remembered his experience when he went too fast down the hill, but the flatbeds he was pulling back then weren't sentient like the trucks, so he was powerless to stop them.

Soon, Harvey approached Brendam.

Salty was shunting some oil tankers, but accidentally biffed them too hard.

A few drops made their way onto the rails as a bit of oil leaked out.

Salty winced as Porter cried out, "What happened Salty?"

"Um, nothing," stuttered the Dockside Diesel as he shunted the tankers out of the way, leaving a small trail of oil.

Harvey raced through the station and into the harbour.

Cranky gawked as the runaway train skidded along the rails.

When Harvey saw the oil, he tried to brake, but as soon as the oil met his wheels, he just went faster.

Salty and Porter gasped as the points were switched to a siding that wasn't used often, due to the buffers being weak.

Harvey shut his eyes tightly as he smashed through the buffers and fell into the sea.

Luckily Harvey's crew had jumped before the crash, but were still shaken up.

His trucks of stone weren't far behind.

They giggled and snickered as they landed on top of each other.

"Our work is done!" a truck said proudly.

Harvey just sulked.

Salty was alarmed.

"Shiver me axles! Crane engine overboard! Don't worry Harvey, we'll find help!"

Porter looked up to Cranky.

"Can you reach him, Cranky?" he asked urgently.

Cranky sighed sadly.

"I'm afraid not, Porter. He's too far away. We'll need Rocky for this one."

"On it," said Harvey's driver as he dialed a number.

At the Transfer Yards, Arthur was talking to Freddie.

"And then Merrick fell asleep again, so I had to wake him up... He's so frustrating sometimes," Freddie said crossly.

Arthur chuckled, just as the foreman rushed up to the both of them.

"Arthur, you're the only engine available to take Rocky to an accident at Brendam Docks." he said urgently, "You must go now."

Arthur groaned.

"It must be Harvey... I did try to warn him..."

Before Freddie could ask anything, Arthur rushed away to collect Rocky.

At Brendam Docks, the Fat Controller had arrived to see what was going on.

"What happened here?" he asked firmly.

"Harvey walked the plank, captain," Salty explained.

The Fat Controller blinked.

"Huh?"

"He means he fell into the ocean sir," said Porter.

"Oh. Oh no..."

He peered over the edge of the dock and cringed as he saw the accident.

"Harvey? Are you alright?"

"Barely," Harvey groaned from down below and he coughed, spitting out a bit of seawater.

Arthur puffed up with Rocky.

"I came as quickly as I could, sir," Arthur said hastily.

"You're fine, Arthur," the Fat Controller reassured, "Rocky, are you ready to clear this up?"

"Right on the job, sir," Rocky promised as he lowered down his cable to Harvey.

At last, Harvey was back on the rails.

"Oh, thank you Rocky and Arthur," coughed the crane engine, "That was bad down there..."

"Happy to help," said Arthur.

The Fat Controller sighed.

"Now that you're out of this accident, Harvey, I hope you don't mind telling me why you took this train down here."

Harvey gulped.

"To-toby let me sir... I told him I'm sick of doing the same job and I'd like to pull trains once in a while..."

The Fat Controller groaned.

"Harvey, there's a reason you don't pull trains often. You're not experienced enough. You may be good at keeping trucks in line while they're stationary but when they're moving, they'll seize their chance."

"Yes, sir. I know that sir," Harvey said quietly.

"And I don't approve of engines swapping jobs. Engines have their different qualities and not everyone can handle the same work."

Harvey felt bad about what had happened.

"Sorry, sir. I guess I am just a crane..."

"Now, I didn't say that," the Fat Controller said, "You can learn to pull trains, but you need to learn to pull things. And I think Toby can help teach you how to."

He was suddenly cut off when he gagged.

"Ugh, what's that smell?"

Arthur laughed heartily when he saw something on Harvey's hook.

"It's a fish, Harvey! I guess you can go fishing after all!"

Harvey chuckled, and soon, everyone else was too.

Nowadays Harvey sometimes pulls trains when he's not too busy, and now he knows that you shouldn't always get what you wish for.


End file.
